Abstract
The article deals with the interaction of mass culture and classical literary heritage which is reflected by the analysis of adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe's works within the framework of mass culture. The reasons for the interest of various branches of mass culture in the literary heritage of the American classic as well as some of the well-known adaptations and the relationship between the original text and its adaptation, including the problem of adaptation as an interpretation of the original work by the recipient were thoroughly analysed. In the article the emphasis was made on the comparison between adaptations and the original works. The article also examines the inevitable changes in the content of the original works, introduced by the authors of the adaptations. This state of affairs is explained by the need to translate the original work into the language of adaptation. For example, the translation of a literary text into the film language implies the visualization of the key images or rendering the mood of the original through visualization, orientation to the mass audience, who thinks primarily in visual images. To consider the interaction of the original and its adaptation, works from various branches of popular culture were selected. These include: cinema, animation, rock music, computer games industry.
In addition to a comparative analysis of adaptations and original works, the key features of the literary and critical heritage of Edgar Allan Poe are also considered, which ensures the productivity of the process of interaction between Edgar's works and the branches of mass culture. These aspects primarily include the gothic content of Edgar Poe's "macabre" stories, as well as the orientation of Edgar Allan Poe on the reader's perception of a literary text when creating the plot of his works, including the perception of the "average" person.
Keywords
Edgar Poe, mass culture, reception, interpretation, film adaptation, music, computer game, poetry, recipient, visualization.